second banana vs spear carrier

second banana

noun
  • A person who serves in a supporting, secondary, or subsidiary capacity; an assistant. 

  • A comedian who plays a secondary or supporting role, especially as straight man and traditionally in vaudeville or burlesque theatre. 

spear carrier

noun
  • One who serves in a subordinate or menial role. 

  • A person in a play or movie with a minimal part; an extra. 

  • One who plays a leading or substantial role as a supporter, proponent, etc. representing a group, cause, or point of view. 

How often have the words second banana and spear carrier occurred in a corpus of books? (source: Google Ngram Viewer )